Irmen Among 15 Sent To Houston

Danny Irmen was sent to the Houston Aeros the day after facing the Detroit Red Wings in the Wild's first preseason game on Tuesday night.

A total of 15 players were released from Wild training camp on Wednesday morning, most notably Danny Irmen, who was the only cut who played on Tuesday night against Detroit. Wild head coach Jacques Lemaire said Irmen was the victim of a numbers game, and he needed to get a look at other players.

"Right now, we have guys under contract that we have to look at," said Lemaire without getting specific. "And the more players we have, the tougher it is to get a good look at them to make the right decision at the end."

Lemaire said he was not displeased with Irmen's play, and he also mentioned being happy with Cal Clutterbuck, who was also among the cuts.

"I was happy with (Irmen's) game. We know what he can do. It's nice to have guys that can do a certain job if you call them. Danny Irmen is that type of guy. Clutterbuck too. He had a good camp. He was supposed to play a game, but we changed because I want to see other guys.

The roster now stands at 36 and includes some surprises including 6-foot-8 defenseman John Scott, who Lemaire has mentioned he would like to see in a game. Aaron Voros, who has turned some heads with his physical play, has also lived to see another day.